Ladies: Don’t’ Fall Victim to This Mythical Nonsense

Stop me if you have heard this before…”I don’t want to weight train too much because I don’t want to get bulky.” I hear that from my female clients all the time. It’s an understandable fear. No woman wants to walk around looking like a middle linebacker. That’s not sexy at all! Most of the women I know want lean toned muscles that look amazing in a tank top or strapless dress.

While it is an understandable fear, it’s a bit of an irrational one. Resistance training will absolutely, positively does not make you look like the woman pictured above : ) Women lack the necessary hormones (namely testosterone) to put on large amounts of muscle tissue.

In fact, most men struggle to put on a lot of muscle no matter how hard they work. This is one of the reasons that steroids have become an unfortunate reality of our society. Body builders work for years and years lifting extremely heavy weights and adhere to a strict diet to put on that kind of muscle.

Women who are weight training not only lack the testosterone but they are most likely not going to train the same way a body builder does. As a result, it is almost impossible for a woman to “bulk up” while resistance training. Please do not let this fear keep you from adding resistance training to your exercise regimen.

The truth is women NEED to lift weights. For years women were told that the key to getting lean was cutting calories and increasing the cardio. We now know that that is the worst way to go about burning body fat.

The benefits of resistance training for women are numerous. While resistance training will not make women bulky it does have the potential to add some additional lean muscle which is a very good thing. Lean muscle is what gives the body shape. When you see a Hollywood star or a female athlete that looks toned and fit, that is the result of lean muscle (and a low body fat percentage).

Adding some lean muscle also increases the metabolism. A study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that women who completed an hour-long strength-training workout burned an average of 100 more calories in the 24 hours afterward than they did when they hadn’t lifted weights. That means you are burning calories without moving a muscle. At three sessions a week, that’s 15,600 calories a year, or about four and a half pounds of fat!

Resistance training also strengthens bones. Osteoporosis is a concern for all women as they age. Resistance training has been proven to increase bone density. Having strong, stable bones is extremely important as brittle bones can lead to falls and fractures.

Resistance training also improves balance and posture. As I said above, osteoporosis is a real danger for women. Add that to poor balance and it is very easy to suffer a fall and break bones. By resistance training you can greatly lessen the likelihood of this happening.

Resistance training also makes you stronger. Being stronger makes doing some of life’s daily tasks a little easier. Whether it’s lifting up kids, carrying laundry, or carrying groceries, being a little stronger can really help!

Resistance training can also save your life. Did you know that heart attacks are the leading cause of death for women? Well it is and resistance training can lessen the chances of having a heart attack by lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure levels. Almost everybody I have ever trained who had cholesterol and blood pressure issues were able to lower their levels through resistance training and cardio. One of my clients, Debbie Baker, was able to do just that:

“The timing of your flyer could not have been better. I had just gotten my annual physical and the numbers were deplorable! My weight had gone up (again), my cholesterol was 290 (I was shocked) and my blood pressure was still high even though I was on medication. I knew it was time to get things back on track. I was not about to add more pills to my daily routine – in fact, I was determined to get off the one I was taking!

My first session with was on February 7th. By late June I could hardly wait to go to the doctor for my follow-up physical. I knew I was in better shape — I felt better, and I looked better — but I still wanted to see the numbers. In just 4 short months, not only did I see physical changes, my health had improved drastically! My cholesterol was down to a healthy 180 and my blood pressure was also down – so much that my doctor gave me the go-ahead to stop taking the blood pressure medicine.”

But the benefits of resistance training do not stop there…

Resistance training also:

1.) Improves sports performance (this is great for all of you tennis players out there)
2.) Makes you feel better/fight depression
3.) Improves energy
4.) Increases confidence
5.) Lessens the likelihood of injury
6.) Reduces risk of diabetes
7.) Reduces risk of arthritis

As you can see, the benefits of resistance training are vast. This is something every woman should be doing. If you have avoided resistance training in the past because you feared getting bulky you can relax. You are not going to bulk up but what you will get will be life changing! So don’t fall victim this myth. Go join a gym, a boot camp, or buy some dumbbells for the house (and not the 2 pound pink dumbbells they sell at Wal-Mart : ) and get started on resistance program today.

***Keep in mind that resistance training does not have to include weights. Any kind of resistance can be used. Exercises that use body weight such as push-ups and squats are fantastic. You can also use exercise bands, medicine balls, sandbags, your neighbor : ) …it really doesn’t matter as long as the muscles are being challenged.

If you are not really sure what to do consider joining a fitness boot camp!
Boot Camps are exploding across the country right now and that’s because they are the perfect mix of resistance training and cardio to ensure that you walk away with the lean and toned look you want with NO CHANCE of bulking up! Our next BodyBack! Boot Camp begins on July 6th so I hope to see you there : )

To register for your FREE BodyBack! Boot Camp session, click the link below and register now:

www.BodyBackBootCamps.com

If you would like more fitness and weight loss tips click the “Free Report” link to the right of this article and get my latest reports “Finally…The Truth About Weight Loss” and “10 Ways to Lose Weight…FAST!” They will be emailed to you immediately!

In Good Health,

Jason